It is therefore an advantage of the present invention to provide a composite blade for a hockey stick with improved response while handling and/or shooting a puck.
It is another advantage of the present invention to provide a composite blade for a hockey stick that assists in preventing puck “flutter” that may occur when a player shoots or passes the puck.
It is a related advantage of the present invention to provide a composite blade for a hockey stick that minimizes twisting of the blade.
It is still another advantage of the present invention to provide a composite blade for a hockey stick that has decreased weight without adversely affecting the performance or mechanical characteristics of the blade.
In accordance with the above and the other advantages, the present invention provides a composite hockey stick blade having a rib stiffening system. The rib stiffening system consists of one or more ribs incorporated within a rear face of the paddle portion of the blade. The ribs create an internal wall structure that runs inwardly with respect to the rear face of the paddle portion. The ribs provide regions of increased stiffness within the overall structure of the paddle. The location of the rib or ribs allows the flexing and twisting characteristics of the paddle to be precisely controlled depending upon the blade's desired mechanical characteristics to enhance the player's shooting and passing ability. The addition of ribs horizontally along the length of the paddle is shown to increase the stiffness of the paddle longitudinally, while the addition of ribs semi-vertically increases the torsional rigidity of the paddle, therein minimizing twisting of the paddle that may occur during use, such as when a player shoots or passes a puck.
A secondary result of adding the rib stiffening system to the rear face of the paddle of the blade is an incremental decrease in the total weight of the blade, and a cost savings realization in terms of reduced material usage. In accordance with one embodiment, the ribs are essentially removed regions from the rear face of the paddle of the blade, and thus decrease the weight of the blade as well as the raw material costs. Further, the use of ribs allows a manufacturer to decrease the number of plies of fiber reinforcement material added to the blades, resulting in increased raw material cost savings without a decrease in stiffness or some other measurable blade performance criteria.
Thus, an individual utilizing the blade of the present invention can individually tailor a hockey stick based on a desired set of mechanical characteristics. For example, a player desiring a hockey blade with increased stiffness near the tip region of the paddle may select one blade in accordance with the present invention, while another player desiring a more flexible tip region and less flexible heel region would select another version of the blade in accordance with the present invention. Further, the blades may be formed with less raw materials without sacrificing stiffness and/or flexion.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention, when viewed in accordance with the accompanying drawings and appended claims.